Propeller-shaft bearing.



No. 090,999. Patented 001. 29, |900.

. J. T. sHEPAnn. 9

PROPELLEB SHAFT BEARING.

(ppcltion led Apr. 6, 1900.)

(llo Model.)

. /N VEA/ron @En TS/5679er@ A TTOHNEYS UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. JOHN THOMAS SHEPARD, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- I-IALFTO FRANK TARDY, OF SAME PLACE.

VPROPELLER'-"Y'SHAFT BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters `v:Patent No. 660,399, datedOctober 23, 1900. Application filed April 6, 1909. Serial No. 11,829.(No model.)

bearing for the propeller-shaft of a vessel which will prevent wear onthe packing; and

it consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the parts,which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had ro theaccompanying drawing, in which the figure is a longitudinal sectiontaken through the shaft-bearings.

In the drawing, A represents the propellershaft, which is made with arigid collalor shoulder a formed thereon or attached there.

to, which collar has a beveled face on one side. B is a tubeencompassing said shaft and having at one end an internal collar b,which has a beveled face that forms a bearing for the collar a of theshaft to press against, producing a tightly-fitting cone-joint at thepoint.'

The opposite end of the tube B "is screwthreaded exteriorly at b and hasscrewed upon it an interiorly-threaded disk plate B". A still largertube C encompassesthe tube B and is screw-threaded at c to receive astuifing-boX C, which is screwed thereon, and'is provided with two ormore .rigidly-attached studs or stems e e, which project in directionparallel to the shaft and pass through per-V forations in the plate B. Astuffing-box gland D encompasses the tube B and compresses between itand the stuffing-box C the packing to form a tight joint, but whichlpacking does not come in contact with the revolving shaft. withperforations in its outer liange, through which pass thescrew-studs c e,nuts e e being arranged on the screw-threads of e to tighten up thegland. Between the gland D 'and the plate B and wound upon the studs e eare light helical springs d d, and upon the studs e e., outside of ,theplate B', are other helical springs d d', much stronger than the springsd. These stronger springs d are prevented from coming olf the ends ofthe studs by nuts e?, screwed upon the outer threaded This gland is alsoprovided endsof said studs. Now when a longitudinal strain' is put uponthe propeller-shaft A in the direction of the arrow, such as is causedby the revolution ofthe propeller-blades, this strain is transmittedfrom shaft A and its collar d to the collar Z7,Which makes a water-tightjoint. The tube B being rigidly connected to the plate B causes thisstrain to come against the springs d, studs e, stuiing-box C', and outertube C and the vessel. The other springs d act merely as a cushion tohold the plate B' against looseness or free move- 4ment to the right.

The joint between the collar a and the co1- lar b is a closely-fittedground joint, which is held tightly closed by spring-pressure and doesnot permit waterto leak through. EX- cessive wear of the collar b isalso prevented by the slightly-yielding character of the tube B againstthe springs d. The packing of the stuffing-box, it will be seen, is notin contact with the revolving shaft at all, and hence is not subject toits Wear and does not require to be packed so tightly.

At the outer end of the lube C there is a loose bushing-sleeve S, madein two half-sections and secured to the tube O.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters l`Patent, is-

l. A propeller-shaft combined with a surrounding tube, and springswhereby it is made -yielding and spring-seated against strain inlongitudinal direction substantially as described.

2. A propeller-shaft having a collar or shoulder, and an inclosing tubehaving another collar or shoulder bearing against the same, springs torenderityieldingagainstendwise movement, and a stuffing-box arrangedoutside of the tube substan tially as described.

3. A propeller-shaft having a collar -or shoulder, an inclosing tubehaving another collar or shoulder bearing against the same, springs torender it yielding against endwise movement, a second tube encompassingthe first and bearing at its end a stufiing-box titting the inner tubesubstantially as described.

4.-. A propellershaft having a collar or shoulder, an inclosing tubehaving another collar or shoulder bearing against the same,

if Y 660.399

and a rigidly-attached plate ab the other end, In testimony whereof Ihave signed my a second tube inclosing the first a slnfngname tobhisispeelic'mion in the presence of box with parallel studs projectingbeyond it, two snbseribinag,r witnesses.

a gland fitting the inner tube and guided 0n JOHN THOMAS SHEPART). thesaid studs, and springs arranged on both VVibnesses:

sides of the end plate of the inner tube snb- PERCY C. HOPKINS,

stantially as described. CLARENCE BOYDEN.

